Lonely Lamb
by Patient Harmony
Summary: While on a camping trip with the school, strange things started happening. Matthew feels that there are eyes watching him at all times, and the intentions are not good. Warning: mentions of cutting, character death, poor first attempt at horror.


**Okay, this is my first attempt at writing something remotely horror, so I might have failed. And it didn't help that the three friends I asked to proofread are resistant to horror, so I have no idea if it worked.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

**Lonely Lamb**

Matthew was always invisible, especially compared to his twin brother.

They were going on a camp arranged by the school, and they had to share tents in groups of four. Matthew almost dreaded who he would be paired with. Almost. Because he would be invisible in their eyes.

On the bus, no one sat next to him. They all opted to sit next to their friends. Even Alfred, his twin, didn't sit anywhere _near_ Matthew. He would much rather sit with his friends, Mathias and Gilbert.

Matthew sighed. People usually mistook him for his brother, didn't think he was worth the trouble, or completely overlooked him. It had been that way since he was small. And every time, it would cause more scars upon his heart.

He stared out the window, at the warm countryside. But as the countryside gave way to woods, Matthew couldn't help but feel that it suddenly turned cold.

…

As it turned out, he was sharing a tent with Antonio, Francis and Gilbert. Gilbert was Alfred's friend, and Francis was Matthew's cousin, so they at least acknowledged his existence. Most of the time. It was still better than not being noticed at all.

As soon as Matthew stepped foot onto the terrain, he had the feeling of a pair of eyes watching him. It was unusual, since no one ever watched him. No, their eyes always slid over him, not even bothering to check again. It was always as though they couldn't see him at all.

But Matthew could feel a pair of eyes fixed on him, _studying _him. He looked around, but none of his classmates were looking in his direction. And it wasn't a case of someone averting their gaze to avoid being discovered. The feeling persisted, and Matthew could feel goosebumps erupt across his arms.

His arms were starting to itch.

…

One of their teachers chose to chaperone. Well, he _said_ he chose to chaperone. Matthew's invisibility also extended to affect the teachers. And that was how he found out that Mr Zwingli, the economics teacher, lost a bet with Mr Braginski, the coach and the original chaperone of the trip.

Before allowing them all to set up their tents, Mr Zwingli had a few important rules to share.

"Alright!" he said. "First things first: Don't go into the woods at night. Second, don't go swimming in the lake. Third, and this is probably the most important: Don't go anywhere _alone_!"

_Alone_. That word repeated in Matthew's head. Somehow, it felt like a warning bell, but what did it matter?

He was always alone.

…

That night, they all gathered around the campfire, roasting marshmallows, talking, and having a good time.

Except for Matthew.

He sat away from the others at a distance. No one came over to speak with him. No one laughed with him.

No one saw him.

Well, perhaps _someone_ did. He still had the feeling of eyes on him, and he was rubbing his arms uncomfortably.

"Yo dudes," Alfred shouted. "We should tell scary stories."

"Awesome!" Gilbert exclaimed. "So, anyone know any good ones?"

"I do."

No one expected Lukas, the quiet Norwegian, would be the first to speak.

"Seriously Norge?" Mathias asked. "Alright then, go ahead."

Lukas sighed, before he seemed to take on a sombre aura.

"Before we came, I did some research about this place," Lukas began, and everyone grew silent. "I found out that a hundred years ago, a group of campers were camping at this very spot. There were ten in total. Just a group of friends hanging out. On the first night, one of them went exploring, all on his own. And on his own, he started to hear a voice, whispering to him. Taunting him. Making him feel all alone. Torturing him. By the time the others found him, it was too late. He was long dead, killed by his loneliness."

Matthew shuddered.

"Soon enough, the others started to die, one by one, and every time, they were alone. When they tried to leave, the woods rearranged itself, and they became lost. In the end, only four remained, trying to find their way out."

"And then they died," Mathias whispered.

"Shut it, Dane. Now, one of the group was always a bit of an outcast, and the only reason he went along was because of his brother. But he always felt alone. Now, while they were searching for a way out of the woods, they found a creature. A horrible, horrible creature. It had its eyes on only one person. The lonely. It threw the others aside and started to torment the poor boy. It was even worse with him. The creature only attacked when one was alone. And how can you protect someone from something that attacks you if you're alone, if the one that is attacked is always alone in spirit?"

Matthew shivered. It made him feel cold to hear those words. That was how _he_ always felt.

"The last sound that came from the poor boy's throat was a scream of despair. The face forever frozen was one stained with the tears he had never allowed himself to cry in his life. His brother, one of the remaining survivors, was driven to despair, having never paid heed to his brother's sorrow. The creature let them go, having preyed on the one it wanted in the first place."

"That's creepy," Lovino, one of the Italian twins, said.

"Ve~, but it's so sad," Feliciano, the other Italian twin, said.

"According to legend," Lukas said, "anyone that comes to these woods is advised to never go alone, for the creature attacks anyone that it finds on his own. And for those that are always on their own, pray that the creature does not find you. That is the reason why no one here must go on their own."

There was silence as the story sank in. Matthew shivered, the eyes he felt intensifying its glare. He could also sense a strange emotion coming from the eyes, but _what_?

"_Poor little lamb,"_ a voice whispered. _"Lost and alone."_

Matthew looked around. No one else seemed to have heard the voice, and no one seemed to have spoken the words. No one was close enough to him.

What was that?

…

That night, Matthew slept on the side, away from the other three. The advantage of being practically invisible: no one was bothered by his thrashing, and no one was awoken by his moans.

…

_Matthew was walking through the woods, all alone. It was dark, and there was mist rising out of the ground. Matthew felt extremely cold._

"_Look at you," a voice sneered. "All on your own."_

_Matthew turned around, searching for the speaker, but there was no one there._

"_Look at what your loneliness has caused."_

_Matthew felt something wet going down his arms, dripping to the ground. He raised his hands, and in the darkness, he could see the blood, coming from the many lacerations on his arms._

…

When Matthew awoke, it was morning, and he was alone. He didn't expect any of the others to have awoken him when morning came.

He pulled up the sleeves of the hoodie he slept with, and undid the bandages. Every scar, exactly as the dream reflected. Some were old, barely visible. Some were still very, very new.

But he brought no blade with him to add new scars.

…

Everyone ate breakfast in groups. Matthew stayed near Alfred and his group. Mathias, Gilbert, Francis, Antonio, as well as Arthur, Lukas and Emil, Lukas's younger brother.

Even though Matthew sat with them, he didn't feel a part of the group. No one spoke to him. No one heard him.

No one noticed the scars peeking out of the long sleeve, his wrist no longer bandaged.

…

The first scream came some time in the late morning. Everyone went towards the lake, to find that the water of the entire lake was red. And floating in the centre of the lake was Tino, a Finnish boy that no one remembered seeing that morning.

Matthew knew that if anyone asked about him, then they will say the same thing. They had seen no one named Matthew.

When they finally managed to get Tino's body out, they found a single wound. A carving in his chest that resembled a maple leaf.

…

They packed up their equipment. They could not stay, not after one of their own was killed. Mathias, who was close to Tino, offered to carry the body, wrapped up in a blanket. They could not leave him there.

The bus was only a ten minute hike away, so after an hour, they knew that something was seriously wrong. It took them a while to realise that they did not recognise the area, even though they went in the right direction.

The forest had rearranged itself.

…

They had set up camp in a clearing they found. They would search more in the morning. While everyone did their own thing, Matthew sought out Lukas. He needed to know something.

"Lukas," Matthew said.

The Norwegian looked up from the place he was sitting.

"Alfred," Lukas said.

"No," Matthew sighed. "His brother, Matthew."

Lukas looked at him, a strange emotion in his eyes.

"I need to know something, about that story you told."

"It was just a story. Although there _were _many deaths here."

"I just needed to know something. About the last one. The… lonely one."

Lukas looked at him oddly, but there was something in his eyes.

"You want to know if something happened. Something I left out."

Matthew nodded his head.

Lukas sighed.

"Since the moment they arrived, he felt that there was someone, or some_thing_, watching him. He heard a voice whisper to him. He had various strange dreams. Since he always felt alone, he was tortured from the start. The creature tortures anyone it finds on their own before killing them. It tortured him the whole time, because no matter how many people were around him, he always felt alone."

When Matthew left, he figured that Lukas would forget the conversation, as it had happened many times before.

He didn't feel the eyes that watched him, understanding and fear behind them.

…

_He was at a lake, the waters red with blood._

"_He was foolish, and on his own," the voice whispered. "He was a lamb that strayed from the path. _You_, on the other hand, are a lamb abandoned by the flock. Easy pickings for wolves. So pray that the wolves do not find you, little lamb."_

_Matthew heard the howl of a wolf, and when he looked away from the lake, he saw a pair of red eyes._

…

It was not Matthew's screams that awoke everyone. Who would hear _his_ screams? No one ever heard him.

No, the scream that awoke everyone came from the Greek boy, Heracles. A boy that tended to sleepwalk.

He was found hanging from a tree, a thick vine wrapped around his neck. His shirt was stained with blood, coming from a wound on his chest. The wound was a carving of a bear.

…

It was Heracles's Turkish rival, Sadiq, that offered to carry his body.

Matthew felt a pair of eyes on him the whole time. He realised something important.

The creature that killed two of his classmates. It wanted _him_. And he had a feeling that it would not stop until it had him.

…

The next night, everyone was on edge. Already, two of them have died. And after two days of searching, they had found no way out of the woods. No way to safety.

Matthew waited until night had fallen before he wandered off, away from the others. They may not see him, but he didn't want anyone else to die. Not when the creature wanted _him_.

It wasn't long until he heard the whisper.

"_Poor little lamb, wandered away from the flock. Or, no. It's the lamb that no one wants. The lamb that was abandoned by the flock."_

Matthew shivered, but he didn't back down.

"I-I think you have it w-wrong," Matthew said. "I'm not a lost lamb." Matthew swallowed nervously. "I'm a sacrificial lamb."

The air turned colder, and in the next instant, Matthew was eye-to-eye with a pair of red eyes.

"_You're willing to sacrifice yourself? For _them_?"_

Matthew swallowed before nodding his head.

"_After all they've done? After they ignored you? Tell me, how many of them remembered your birthday? How many of them invited you over after school? How many of them smile at you when they see you? How many of them even spoke to you?"_

Matthew swallowed. He was trembling by now. His eyes stung with the tears he never allowed himself to shed before.

"_How many times have they made you feel lost and alone? How many times have they been the cause for those scars on your arms? Not even your own brother remembers who you are. Why would you want to sacrifice yourself for the people that don't even remember you?"_

Matthew swallowed nervously.

"When Tino and Heracles died, everyone was sad. They're still mourning. I don't want anyone else to die. I don't want to bring more sadness. That's why I'm offering myself as a sacrifice. They can't mourn someone they don't remember."

…

The first time anyone heard Matthew Williams's voice, they heard a scream of pain and anguish. The first time anyone saw his face, it was soaked with tears.

The first time anyone embraced him, his body was cold and still, and his shirt was soaked with blood.

His heart was torn out.

Alfred embraced his brother, crying in anguish. Everyone else stared in horror.

"_The sacrificial lamb," _a voice whispered.

Everyone's attentions were drawn towards the source of the voice. They were surprised to see a figure that looked like Tino standing in the darkness. The only way they could tell that it was not Tino was the glowing, red eyes.

"_Interesting, isn't it? The other two wandered from the flock. You should have seen how they cried. It was delicious."_

The figure then changed, to resemble Heracles.

"Why?!" Alfred shouted. "Why did you kill them?"

"_It was all a game. You see, there is no worthy prey around here. The most satisfying prey of all, is the heart of the lonely. So the moment the little boy stepped foot in my woods, I knew I had to have him. It was rather convenient, you telling them about one of my previous killing sprees."_

Its eyes were on Lukas, who took a step back.

"Why Mattie?" Alfred shouted.

The creature turned its gaze on him. It then turned itself into Matthew, its red eyes glowing.

"_Don't suddenly pretend you care!" _the creature shouted, using Matthew's voice._ "That poor boy. I did him a favour, you see. Do you want to know what his last words were? 'They can't mourn someone they don't remember'."_

"We remember him!" Alfred shouted.

"_Oh really? Then tell me, who were his tentmates?"_

No one said a word. They all looked at each other with questioning faces.

"_It's a pity. Not even his cousin remembered him."_

Francis gasped. Gilbert and Antonio's eyes widened.

"_Tell me, every meal, who did he sit with?"_

No one answered.

"_So sad. I would have thought at least _someone_ from his brother's group would have realised he was there. Tell me, who heard his scream last night? I've found that tormenting people in their dreams is quite effective. Who among you ever called him their friend?"_

No one said a word. Many of them were crying by now. Others were looking at the boy that met a tragic fate, guilt in their eyes.

"_Exactly. None of you! And yet, he was willing to sacrifice himself to keep me from killing any more of you. I honestly can't understand it. The other two were lost little lambs. It turned out that the lonely lamb was, in fact, a sacrificial lamb. Willing to protect the very flock that shunned him."_

With those last words, the creature disappeared, and they all found themselves in their original campsite.

Ten minutes away from the bus.

…

Everyone was silent when they sat on the bus. Mathias, Lukas and Emil were sitting next to each other, Tino's body on their laps. Sadik was sitting next to his Japanese friend, Kiku, Heracles's body on his lap.

Alfred was cradling Matthew's body in his lap, rocking back and forth. Arthur and Francis were sitting beside him, for once not arguing.

No one dared to say a thing. How can they? Three of their classmates died.

One of them died in order to protect them all.

And he had no reason to do it.

They had seen the scars on his arms, and it only served to make their guilt grow.

Lukas remembered the conversation he had with the Canadian boy, the day before his death. He should have seen the signs. He should have realised that something was wrong the very moment Matthew asked.

But somehow, he forgot.

One thing was for sure, they would never again forget Matthew Williams, the boy who sacrificed himself for people who never even noticed him.

People who did not deserve his sacrifice.

**For those of you that read my other oneshot, 'What Lies Behind the Mirror', I _am_ working on a continuation, it's just going to take some time, since the story doesn't want to work with me yet. And exams have started, so it might take a few weeks. But the name would be 'Mirror Games', so look out for it.**


End file.
